Alone?
by twilightwonderer
Summary: Title Renamed from Alone, Or Am I? Rita hits rock bottom after her lies were revealed. Following a video-call with a concerned Zoe Hanna, Dylan is instructed to check on Rita. Will Dylan be able to help her? Will friendship form? And more importantly, will she be ok? (Trigger Warning) Rated T (but parts could be considered M so please be careful!)
1. Chapter 1

**Alone, Or Am I?**

* * *

Iain's car sped away, her friends had walked away. They'd all abandoned her and it was all her fault. She stood right there, in the same spot in the car park, for what seemed like an eternity. Silent tears made their way down her cheeks. Ducking her head and wrapping her jacket around her frame she began the journey home, stopping off at the local off-license on the way home.

"You're insane"

"Just get some help will you"

Rita kept replaying Iain's words over and over in her head. They stung, but they were right, she was insane, she did need help, but god she didn't deserve it. She looked down at the bottle in her hands, how she longed to feel the burning liquid trickling down her throat, but she couldn't do it, could she?

The internal debate continued until she broke, 'Fuck it' she thought, 'I've got nothing to lose'. The lid made a satisfying cracking sound as it opened. She stared into the opening of the bottle before tipping it up and taking a swig.

Rita grinned at the instant relief that the drink provided her and took another swig, then another, and another, she was waiting for the drink to take the desired effect.

Half an hour had passed, and the alcohol had begun to work its magic. She slid down onto the floor, stumbling to grab hold of the kitchen counter-top in a feeble attempt to keep herself upright. If only she could stay like this forever, she thought.

But then the tears started, it was as though the reality of what had happened had just hit her, and it hit her like a truck. She was alone, dumped, abandoned, her friends hated her and it was all her fault, She'd lied to them and now she was all alone, with no one to turn to Rita allowed the now uncontrollable sobs to wrack her body. She didn't want to be alone, she just wanted someone to be there for her, someone to love her, that's all, it's all she ever wanted, but yet again she had fucked up. Mark had left her and now Iain. Rita let out a wobbly sigh before clumsily standing and making her way upstairs bottle in tow, leaning heavily against the wall.

Half way up the stairs Rita stumbled. Somehow she managed to stay upright despite, spilling some of the contents of the bottle.

"Oh, for fuck's sake" Rita cursed holding the bottle up towards the beam of light from the window, "It's all good, there's some left," she told herself, giggling softly. Before completing her journey up the stairs and entering her bathroom, albeit with less coordination than Bambi on ice.

Rita took a deep breath and leaned against the door frame. She walked over, or rather, stumbled over, to the sink. She looked up, her reflection stared back at her in the mirror. "Idiot" She scoffed "Oh just piss off will you!" She shouted, punching the mirror. The surface cracked.

"Whatever" Rita said, she didn't care anymore. She opened up the cabinet door. A shiny metal object gleamed up at her. Picking up the blade, she ran her finger across it before running it along her wrist, expecting the consequential relief to hit her she waited, but she couldn't feel anything, she felt numb. She cut again, and again, and again, but once again, she still felt numb.

She threw the blade across the room, it tumbled into the bath tub. Picking up the once discarded bottle of vodka, Rita's body swayed slightly as she took another drink, losing her balance she toppled over, she collapsed onto the cold tiled floor wishing to feel something, for someone to care...

* * *

Meanwhile, Dylan was video-calling Zoe. He was telling her how his day had been, filling her in with the ever recent events that his so-called father had thrown upon him.

"So how's the team?" Zoe asked

"Still shambles in my opinion," Dylan told her

"How so?" Zoe asked, reaching for her wine glass, tucking her legs under her body and relaxing onto her sofa

"I don't like to gossip Zo"

"Yes, Dyl, but I do, so come on, spill the beans"

"Charlie's been suspended, though he's back now, apparently, Mac got himself hooked on pharmaceuticals and Charlie was covering for him and hiding the drugs, which Elle, your replacement, had found and reported him"

"Well, that's shit" Zoe commented, "Though you said he was back right?"

"Yes, he was reinstated the other day"

"What else?, That's pretty average for Holby ED if I remember correctly, not enough to be classed as shambles by the almighty Dylan Keogh"

"Iain ended things with Rita" Dylan almost confessed "It was pretty ugly really"

"How so?" Zoe asked concerned for her friend

"She'd lied to him, told him that her ex-husband had hit her and slashed her tyres"

"Fuck"

"Yes, I'd have to agree on that"

"How did Iain take it?"

"Not very well, he basically called her insane and told her to get help in front of most of the team"

"So they all know that she lied?"

"Yes"

"Damn" Zoe was alarmed "Look, Dylan, I know that you hate to get involved with people's personal life's but I need you to check on Rita"

"Zoe, I don't think it's my place" Dylan tried to object

"Look, I wouldn't ask if I thought she had someone else, just please check on her, for me!" Zoe pleaded

"Why?" Dylan asked

"She's had it tough in the past, how do I put it, she can be pretty clueless sometimes when it comes to handling her emotions safely"

"So like, what, drugs, alcohol?" Dylan asked, to which he didn't receive an immediate reply, "Come on Zoe, I need to know what I'm going to be dealing with here"

"This stays between us okay" Zoe checked, to which Dylan nodded "She drinks, or rather drank and she's attempted suicide a couple of times in the past"

"Ah," Dylan commented, "So what's her address?"

"I got a text from her the other day with her new one on, I'll forward it to you now"

"I've got it, I'll see you later then," Dylan said

"Okay, good luck, keep me updated Dylan, Thanks again"

"Yeah, whatever" Dylan replied with a quick wave before shutting the lid of the laptop and setting out to find Rita's address.

* * *

 **A/N:** Please review and let me know what you think, is this any good. Would you like more? Let me know. I plan to upload another chapter within the next couple of days but please don't hold me to this as I am working a double weekend. Thanks. Nat xx


	2. Chapter 2

Dylan parked his car outside of the address shown on the illuminated phone screen. 'This must be it' he thought before opening the metal door, stepping out and kicking it shut behind him. Dylan half-ran, half-walked up the stairs to the front door.

He knocked loudly. There was no response.

He stepped back slightly and observed the house before him. One dim light glowed through frosted glass, he presumed that this originated from the hallway, this was his only indicator that someone must be inside. Moving back towards the door, he knocked again, yet again there was no immediate response, no 'hang on a minute' or 'I'm coming'. Nothing. He was about to give up and go home when a muffled crash echoed from inside the stone building. Curiously he crouched down and peered through the letterbox.

"Hello?" he shouted through the rectangular brass frame, "Is anybody home?" he asked.

Silence replied.

"Hello?" he repeated, "It's Dylan. From the ED. Rita are you in?"

Yet again, there was no reply, no acknowledgment of his presence.

For some unbeknown reason to him, Dylan tried the door handle and to his surprise, the door was unlocked and slowly became wide open.

'Well then' He thought, 'This is odd'. Dylan crept around the ground floor. Panic was slowly rising as he did so. He peered through doorways, flicked light switches to their 'on' position and loudly hissed every so often "Rita, are you here?". His hushed journey soon led him to the kitchen where he spotted the remaining bottle of Vodka, inwardly cursing he stepped towards the bottom of the staircase. A sense of urgency kicking in, if anyone knew how severe the consequences of alcohol consumption were, it was Dylan. And with that, up he went...

He repeated his cycle of door-opening and light switching until he was faced with a seemingly stuck door. He pushed the door but it simply wouldn't budge.

"Rita!" He called, his voice wavering with panic.

An almost silent moan replied.

"Rita, it's Dylan, Can you open the door?" he announced, attempting to open the door.

Rita groaned.

Stepping back and bracing himself, Dylan took a deep breath, "I'll do it myself then shall I?" He muttered rhetorically. Leaning against the door with his shoulder, he used his body weight to push against the pine surface. Wood scraped against the tile and the door opened in turn. Dylan's eyes scanned the room, a wooden cabinet lay on its side, the cosmetics that once stood on the shelves were now scattered across the floor.

"Oh, for fuck's sake Rita" He exclaimed as his eyes found the collapsed Nurse.

A/N: Well then, here's that update I promised you all about 2 weeks ago, Sorry it's so late and a tad on the short side, the reason for this is mentioned below...

I know that I left a bit of a cliffhanger here, Sorry! The chapter was longer but I devilishly decided to split it for both dramatic (hopefully) effect and so that I can make a start on a schedule plan (which can be found on my profile and Tumblr) and stick to it. So an update is to follow and will be uploaded before the end of the week!


	3. Chapter 3

Dylan rolled over the limp Nurse so that she faced upwards. Adrenaline pumped through his body as he frantically attempted to gain Rita's attention, shaking her shoulders he spoke out.

"Rita, come on, it's Dylan, I need you to open your eyes."

Rita grunted and tried to roll away from the alarmed Doctor.

"No, Rita!" he told her, panic evident in his voice, "Come on, open your eyes Ri" he continued pulling the nurse back to face him. He reached into his shirt pocket instinctively and pulled out the pen torch that was still stored there from his shift at the ED. He went to shine it over her eyes but was shocked instead when Rita grabbed ahold of his wrist, her eyes shooting open, filled with fear.

"What the fuck?!" She screamed, backing away from Dylan.

"Hey, Ri, it's ok, it's Dylan. From the ED" He said softly, moving slowly towards the petrified woman who had found a new position curled up against the white-washed wall. Rita cautiously looked up at him, relaxing only slightly when recognition set in. "Zoe sent me." He offered as an explanation for his presence before joining her on the floor and leaning against the wall.

"Ah, right." Rita half acknowledged him.

"She's worried about you, you know." He told her, clasping his hands together.

"She needn't bother." She slurred. "mm fine"

"Yeah, you look like it" Dylan replied sarcastically. "Come on, what's going on with you Ri?" he asked, "You can tell me you know".

"I don't even know anymore," she told him, shrugging. She was about to continue when she suddenly found herself enclosed in Dylan's arms. The initial shock and surprise soon disappeared and she relaxed into his firm yet gentle embrace, allowing her eyes to drift closed and letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

The pair entered into a semi-comfortable silence which was soon however interrupted by an alarmed observation from Dylan.

"Rita, you're bleeding!"

A/N: So here is the rest of the chapter I had written but split (hence why this is such a small chapter, even by my standards) in order to create an upload schedule. This schedule is now on both my Tumblr (same user) and my profile, but I can confirm that the day in which new chapters will be published for this fic will be Thursday, hence today's upload.

I hope this reads well, I must have re-written it about 100 times, so I apologize if it isn't perfect. Anyway, please let me know what you think!

Nat x


	4. Chapter 4

**_So before this chapter begins I would just like to refer you all to the Trigger Warnings again. This chapter, in particular, contains massive and quite vivid references/descriptions of self-harm. You have been warned!_**

The last hour had buzzed by. Dylan, who was now sat outside the RESUS of Holby City Emergency Department, cast his eyes downwards and took a deep breath. He exhaled slowly. The memories of the evening thus far seemed to flash before him, repeatedly unfolding again and again...

 _"Rita, you're bleeding"_

 _The sense of urgency and apprehension built inside of him, slowly, but still managing to maintain some degree of importance, Dylan pushed the dark colored sleeve up towards the elbow of the petite blonde, and to say the least, he was shocked at what he saw. Vicious red lines were littering Rita's forearm, some older and more scar-like, and others newer and more aggressive in appearance, these 'lines' were etched onto her skin, displaying a map of pain and suffering. The doctor wrapped his hand around Rita's forearm, applying an ever so experienced firm pressure in some feeble attempt to gain control over the bleeding cuts. His other hand fumbled in his trouser pocket, routing for his phone. With shaking hands, Dylan located the object and pulled it, victoriously, from his pocket, his hand continuing to shake as he pressed those ever familiar numbers. 9. 9. 9._

Blinking his eyes shut, Dylan shook his head, trying and hoping to erase the scenes from his memory, much like a small child may do to an etch-a-sketch in order to remove the artistic scrawl. He slowly opened his eyes and had to make a conscientious effort to masquerade his surprise when he found that his once uninterrupted view of RESUS was now blocked by a green statue.

"Oh, so now you care!" Dylan asked irritated. He stood up.

Iain ignored Dylan's outburst, "How is she?" he asked.

Dylan squared up to the paramedic, "And why would you care?" He retaliated, voice raising in volume.

"I just do, okay!" Iain replied, becoming frustrated at the undesired replied he was receiving from the Doctor stood right in front of him. "Please Dylan, How is she?" he pleaded.

"I don't know, okay!" Dylan shouted

Iain took a step backward. "I didn't, I" He stammered. "I didn't mean for this to happen, If I"

"If you what Iain!?" Dylan interrupted, stepping forwards and closing the gap between them once more.

"If I" Iain went to continue, but paused as a result of the death glare he received from Dylan. "I didn't mean for this to happen," Iain told him. "I would have never broken up with her if I'd have known she'd do this, you know that Dylan!"

"Oh just piss off!" Dylan shoved Iain back.

"No! I need to be here!" Iain argued, regaining his footing.

"No. You. Don't" Dylan curled his fists, "Go. Now!".

"I'm going nowhere!" Iain objected.

"Just piss off" Dylan exclaimed before his fist flung forwards towards Iain, making contact with Iain's nose and sending him flying to the ground.

Max was the first to intervene, he pulled Dylan away and ushered him to the wall and pinned him in place, hands on the older man's shoulders. Various Ed staff flurried around Iain but were soon brushed off by the northerner as he stood up and headed straight to the exit. "Oh, that's it, just run away!" Dylan called after him, struggling against Max's grip. "You're pathetic!" he called after him.

"It's not his fault Dylan" Max shouted over him. "It's not his fault"

Seemingly without warning, the doors to RESUS swung open. Elle stepped out of the doors and discarded her gloves in the bin before turning to Dylan.

"She's asking for you." She told him.

And with that Dylan found himself released from Max's grip. The older man was about to enter the medical room when he was stopped by a gentle hand to his chest, his eyes followed the connected arm until he met the face of the person stopping him, his eyes shot daggers to the female doctor.

"I think you need to sort yourself out first Dylan" Elle spoke softly

Dylan tried to object but Elle spoke again. "It's not up for discussion, come on, besides, that hand look's pretty nasty". And with that Dylan was whisked away to a nearby cubical.

 **A/N:** So, technically it's still Thursday right, I mean, I haven't slept yet so to me it is.

Anyway, how was this chapter? I was a little unsure of it when I was writing it as I felt as though I had Dylan a tad OOC, but here it is anyway. Also, as you have just read, I have taken the gamble of adding Iain into the story, would anyone like me to continue having Iain in the fic, or would you like me to close that part of the narrative up quickly? I don't know if what I am asking makes sense, but basically, I am asking if you want Iain in the fic or not. I just felt as though he was too much of an important part of the Rita narrative to leave out, so to speak. Please, let me know what you think anyway. Thanks, Nat X.


	5. Chapter 5

"Iain, mate, it's Jez" the younger paramedic called out, looking around and seeing no one in the breakroom, he stepped into the men's bathroom.

Iain was stood over a sink, he dipped a piece of tissue into the water in the sink before attempting to clean the blood from his nose and upper lip. He winced.

"He looks to have got you pretty good there mate" Jez observed

"You think!" Iain quipped, wincing again as he wiped the bridge of his nose.

"You're not going to get right far with that mate," Jez told him, "Wait here", Jez left the bathroom and returned with a first aid box. He produced a few pieces of gauze from the box and ran them under the tap. "Let me," Jez told him.

"I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself" Iain objected.

"I know, and so am I" Jez returned, "I think I am qualified enough, mate, so let me" he instructed.

With a defeated sigh, Iain turned towards Jez, "Fine" he huffed.

"It's not your fault Iain," Jez told him, cleaning Iain's nose.

"But, if I hadn't broken up with her, or shouted at her, or" Iain began to object.

"It's not your fault, you didn't know she'd do this, Iain, none of us did"

"I know. I just feel like I could have stopped her"

"None of us could have mate"

Jez threw the last piece of gauze into the bin. "There you go, good as new" Jez told him, giving him a reassuring slap on the arm.

"Not too bad" Iain observed, looking into the mirror.

"See, so if I do completely fuck up being a paramedic, I could always be a Nurse right?"

Iain laughed, "I suppose"

"Go home Iain," Jez told him "I'll get Sam or one of the other guys to cover you"

Iain nodded, "Okay, thanks, Jez"

"It's no problem mate, go on, get yourself gone"

Elle secured the bandage with adhesive tape. "There you go," she told him, "all done".

Dylan stood. "She's pretty groggy, but she's okay, the cuts were pretty deep but we managed to stop the bleeding. Her stomach's been pumped to get rid of the alcohol but she will still have the hangover from hell tomorrow, not that it's the top priority for her at the moment." Elle warned Dylan, in hopes of preparing him for what he would soon see.

"Thanks" Dylan waved over his shoulder before making his way back over to resus. Opening the doors, he headed over to Rita's bedside.

"Hey," She greeted groggily.

 **A/N:** So I am really sorry that this is so short, I have been having computer problems so have been reduced to using my phone, which is an absolute ball ache btw. Anyway, I decided to give a small chapter update today (so I can stick to my schedule, which I am trying so hard to maintain and won't be bought down by an asshole of a computer!). I know what I need to do to fix it so hopefully by tomorrow I should be back up and running, which, if that is the case, I will update again tomorrow! Again, I'm sorry but this is the best I could do. Love, Nat xx


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey," Rita greeted groggily.

"Hi," Dylan replied as he pulled over a stool so that it was beside the bed and sat down.

The pair went silent, neither of them knew what to say.

"I didn't mean for this to happen you know," Rita told him.

"What?" Dylan asked.

Rita misunderstood, thinking that he had not heard her, she repeated, "I didn't mean for this to happen".

"I heard you Ri" Dylan took a breath, "But I need to know which part, please" He pleaded gently.

This was now Rita's turn to take a breath, "I didn't mean to go this far"

"You didn't?" Dylan asked relieved.

"No."

"Why'd you do it then?"

Rita shook her head, "I don't know" She told him, though her tone told a different story altogether and deceived her. She looked away from him.

Taking Rita's hand in his, Dylan objected, "I think you do Ri." He paused, hoping that he hadn't crossed the line. Rita looked up, their eyes met as he continued, "You can talk to me you know? I care."

"You do?"

"I do"

"I didn't know who to turn to" She began, "I've never been good at asking for help. I've always dealt with stuff on my own"

"Dealt?" Dylan asked, "How so?"

Rita laughed momentarily. "I guess I haven't really been dealing with things have I?"

"How long?"

Rita scowled in confusion. Her medication-induced delirious state making it difficult for her to understand what Dylan was asking her. Spotting her confused state, Dylan indicated towards her bandaged wrists, "How long have you been"

"A long time" Rita confessed, tears threatened to fall as she forced herself, to be honest. "Since Mark"

"Since he was arrested?"

She shook her head, a lone tear making its' way down her cheek. "Before that, way before that." The doctor remained silent, his actions speaking louder than his words as he slowly brushed his thumb over the shed tear, his eyes telling her that she could tell him, that she could trust him, that he was there for her. "We never had the best relationship". Dylan nodded reassuringly. "He'd drink a lot, he was never a nice drunk"

"I understand Ri, I've been there too."

"Your Dad?" Rita asked to which he nodded. "I'm sorry"

"I'm not, not anymore. He's not worth getting upset other. And neither's Mark okay, I know what he did was horrible, but he's not worth this Ri, you are so much better than him."

"I am?"

"By miles"

"If you say so", looking over at Dylan, she noticed the rather obvious white bandage wrapped around his hand. Concern evident in her voice, she brought up the topic. "So I heard you had a go at Iain". Dylan grimaced, knowing that he'd done wrong. "This. This is not his fault."

"I know," Dylan confessed, "I was worried and I took it out on him"

Rita nodded. "Thank you"

"I thought it wasn't his fault," Dylan asked confused.

"That's not what I meant" Rita laughed, "I meant for caring about me"

"Oh," Dylan smiled. "Well, in that case, your welcome."

"How is he then?"

"I don't know, he wanted to make sure that you were ok, though. He wanted to see you."

"He was?" Rita was confused, why would he care, especially considering all that she'd done. Dylan nodded. "Can you do me a favour Dylan? Tell him I'm sorry, please."

"Okay" Looking up and out of the window that overlooked the corridor, Dylan noticed the paramedic stood outside the room. "Or you could tell him yourself" He counter-offered nodding in the direction of Iain. Rita grimaced. "Or I could tell him to piss off again."

"No, No," Rita told him. "It's okay. Will you go get him please?"

Dylan stood up and nodded his agreement. "I'll wait outside okay"

"Thank you, Dylan."

And with that, Rita watched Dylan walk away. Swinging the doors open he approached Iain. Iain backed away slightly, holding his hands up as a symbol of his surrender and him not wanting to cause any trouble. Dylan spoke, then bowed his head, apologising for his actions. The two shook hands before going their separate ways, Iain to go see Rita and Dylan to the staff room.

 **A/N: Please review etc.**

 **I also wanted to quickly apologise for last week being such a short chapter, my laptop was being an ass and things quickly got on top of me so I forgot to update again. Anyway, I am thinking of closing this up within the next couple of weeks so this will involve more regular updates/longer chapters, though I am making no promises, just a brief commitment to trying. Thanks for reading, Nat Xx**


	7. Chapter 7

2 weeks later, and it was finally time for Rita to be discharged and go home, and there was no doubt that she was absolutely desperate for this, after all, Doctors and Nurses do make the worse patients. After packing the last of her belongings into her bag, she zipped it up. Looking at her phone to check the time, she sighed. It was 5 to 1, 5 minutes until she would be out of the hospital, the minutes ticked by, and gosh they went slowly.

There was a gentle knock at the door before it opened slowly, Dylan stepped inside the room. "You ready to go?" He asked.

"Never been more ready" Rita replied, "Can we please get out of this place before I actually do lose my mind?"

Dylan nodded, "Sure". He walked over to the bed and picked up Rita's bag, "You got everything?"

"I think so"

"Come on then" Dylan held his arm out so that Rita could link her arm in his and after she did so, he spoke again. "Let's go then."

Walking past the front desk Rita waved her goodbyes to the staff who had taken care of her for the past couple of weeks, the two stepped out of the entrance and Rita paused.

"You ok Ri?" Dylan asked, concerned.

"Oh yes" Rita replied, "I'm just glad to be out of that place"

"Good"

And with that, the two resumed their journey to Dylan's car.

Just like the last time, Dylan pulled up outside of Rita's house, stepped out of his car and kicked the door shut. However, this time, was different, after all, he wasn't about to discover his co-worker and friend unconscious on the bathroom floor, instead, he stopped to help Rita out of the car and carry her bag into the house. Rita unlocked the door, and the two stepped in, kicking their shoes off and going into the living room.

"Where do you want to put this then?" Dylan asked, indicating to the bag he was carrying.

"Oh, just put it on the chair. I'll sort it later, thanks,"

Dylan did just so, the room becoming silent and a somewhat uncomfortable atmosphere developing.

"Do you want a cup of tea or anything Dylan?"

"Erm, no thanks. My shift starts soon so I can't stay long"

Rita looked down, nodding sadly. "Okay"

Noticing his friends sadness, he stepped forward and took her hands in his. "You'll be ok Ri," He told her,

"I know," She said, "I just haven't been on my own since, ya know".

Dylan nodded, "It'll be tough, but you'll get through it ok. You are not alone Rita."

"Thank you, Dylan," Rita said, wrapping her arms around the man's waist.

"It's no problem" Dylan returned the hug. He pulled away and looked at his watch. "I best be off"

"Okay"

"Call me if you need anything Rita. And I mean anything"

"I will"

"Oh," Dylan said as if he had remembered something. "Iain said that he would come round after his shift, he's on the morning shift so he should be finishing now. I can tell him not to if you don't feel up to it, though"

"No it's fine" Rita confirmed, "Have a good day yeah"

"I will see you later Ri" Dylan waved as he left.

She was alone. Finally. She locked the door behind Dylan and stood at the window and waved as he left. It was at that moment that everything hit her, she had to physically shake her head in order to tell herself not to get upset about it. Now was not the time, instead, she chose to make herself a cup of tea.

Entering her kitchen, she put some water in the kettle and pressed the switch so that it began boiling. She grabbed a cup of the side and placed a tea bag into the cup. She poured the now boiled water in the cup and went to the fridge to get the milk out, she opened the top and her face screwed up at the rancid smell. That was definitely out of date, she thought. With a deep sigh, she poured the contents down the sink, before picking up the cup and going to do the same. She was however interrupted by a knock at the door. Placing the cup down she went to unlock it.

"Hey" The figure greeted

"Hi" She replied with a sad smile, "Come in"

"Thanks," Iain said as he stepped inside and shut the door behind him. "You ok?"

"I'm fed up of people asking me that," She said annoyed, "I'm fine"

"Woah, woah, woah" Iain put his hand on her shoulder "It's okay, come here" He continued as he pulled her into a hug. Rita relaxed into his grasp.

"Thanks," Rita told him as she pulled away.

"It's no problem Reets" He took off his shoes and hung up his coat. "Fancy a brew? I bought milk" He asked, holding the carton out to Rita. She smiled.

"You, are amazing!" She took the milk from him,

"I know"

"I love you," She said, without thinking. She quickly looked down, covering her mouth with her free hand.

"Rita"

"I'm sorry"

Iain took her hand in his and used his other to guide her chin upwards so that their eyes met. "I love you too"

 **A/N:** And I think that might be it for this story guys. Thank you so much to everyone who read, reviewed etc. I really do appreciate it and I hope this ending is okay for you all! I feel good leaving this where it is and don't really think I would know where to take it if I was to continue. I may do an epilogue of sorts in the future as a sequel, but I'm not promising anything, as I genuinely wouldn't know what to do if I did atm. (Please feel free to leave a suggestion, though!)

Thanks again,

Love, Nat Xx


End file.
